October 29, 2009 will be a day to remember!

Yesterday was quite the day for our girls. Not only was it their 3rd birthday, but their first day of school and the day Bree received her new wheelchair.

The morning started off pretty good...everyone was up bright and early and still a little sleepy. Their lunches were packed the night before and their clothes were already picked and laid out. Breakfast went smoothly and by 7:15 everyone was dressed and ready to go. Connor was dropped off at his school before we head just a short drive down the road to the girls new school. We arrived just as all their classmates arrived on the bus and the girls were the first one's to class. We put their bags and lunchboxes in their own cubbies and let them get settled in before heading home. Once we arrived home I came to the realization that I have no kids to unload, no mess to clean up and it was a nice feeling. I spent most of the morning on the phone telling everyone about their morning and after some light cleaning it was time to head back to school to pick everyone up. Ms. Casey, the girls' teacher, filled us in on their day. She made the comment on how the girls were a "handful". That's saying something, from an ESE teacher who's dealt with Special Needs kids for over twenty years. Despite a slight meltdown from Bree the girls had a great first day of school.

Shortly after getting home we received a call from the man who was responsible for delivering Bree's new wheelchair. He was running behind and didn't arrive till after 5pm. By the time he assembled and adjusted everything it was after 8pm and everyone was exhausted. There are still a few pieces that need to be ordered due to them being the wrong size or not arriving, so we'll have to wait before she can use it.

Because of all the excitement of starting school and getting a wheelchair, the birthday was somewhat overshadowed. To think about everything we have been through the past three years only proves to me how strong of a family we really are. We had many scares over that time, not knowing if they'd survive and if they did, what quality of life would they have. To look at them today I finally accepted who they are and no matter what happens they will always be OUR LITTLE ANGELS!

Look who's 3...it's Paige and Bree!

Click here to view these pictures larger

Look who's 3...it's Paige and Bree!

The girls had a fun filled day Sunday at their Dora the Explorer Birthday Fiesta. Many friends and family joined us to celebrate a huge milestone for the girls...their 3rd birthday. There was chips and salsa, 5 layer dip, mini tacos, and the kids favorite, quesadillas (or as Paige likes to call them...chickadillas). They got lots of new clothes for school, although the girls were more interesting in playing with the tissue paper and balloons than to see what they got. Everyone had a great time and it was nice to see the house filled with so many little girls for Paige and Bree to play with. By 5pm Bree was exhausted and fell asleep, but as usual, Paige was ready to keep the party going. I'm so glad that the girls were able to enjoy themselves this year and look forward to what the next year may bring.

Unfortunately, my camera broke. So all the photos were taken with my camcorder. They're not the best quality and most of them were taken by random people, but you get the idea.

Bree's eye surgery

Bright and early this morning...well, not bright...it was 5am, Pete and Bree were off to Orlando. I had to stay home with Paige and take Connor to school. Her surgery was schedule for 8am and by 9:30 she was wheeled to recovery. Everything went well; the dr. went in and cut the muscles that run along the side of each eye. He decided to only cut the medial muscles in hopes that it wouldn't cause an over/under correction. We were given the success rate of 70% and we'll take it. With out this surgery, Bree would most likely lose vision in her left eye. So, the chance is worth taking. She will have to get drops in both eyes three times a day for a week and Tylenol as needed. She ate lunch, which is a good sign, as eye surgery can cause nausea. We'll be keeping a watchful eye on her, making sure she's not rubbing her eyes too hard. She will have a pinkish tinge to her tears and the whites of her eyes are pretty blood shot. Overall we are very pleased with the outcome so far...here is a video of Bree about 2 hours after the surgery.